Process for preparing a sugar coating on an irregular shaped confection

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a process for forming a hard sugar coating on an irregularly shaped chocolate confection which tapers into a pointed tip on said confection on a non-base portion thereof, which comprises forming a rounded contour on the base thereof and applying at least two coating syrups and preferably three coating syrups onto the surface of the confections under specific conditions and optionally polishing said confection. The present invention is also directed to the product formed from the process.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention is directed to a process for hard panning a bite sized irregular shaped confection with sugar to produce a sugar coated irregularly shaped confection and to the coated confectionery product obtained from the process.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Coated confectioneries, panning and particularly sugar shelled confectioneries have long been known. For example, Hershey-ets® chocolates are chocolate centers with sugar shell coatings. Other examples include Nestle's Smarties®, M&M's® chocolate candies and the like. All of these confections have hard coatings of sugar covering the chocolate center.[0003]The process for coating centers of confectioneries, e.g., chocolate centers, is known as panning. The equipment that is typically used in this process consists of a motor-driven, revolving, open-mouthed pan, which is usually cylindrical or pear shaped. The formed center material, e.g., the chocolate, is placed in the pan and when the pan ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0034](c) spraying using an atomizer onto the surface of the product of (b) while rotating the drum of the coating pan containing the product of (b), said smoothing syrup comprised of a supersaturated solution of crystallizable sugar, non-crystallizable sugar and optionally a whitening agent while rotating the drum of the coating pan under conditions effective to uniformly coat the dried gumming syrup coating the confections, in an amount effective to smooth the coated surface of and optionally form a white coat on said plurality of confections, and subsequently drying the second component thereon; whereby the amount of crystallizable sugar present in the second syrup ranges from about 67% to about 76% (w / w) sugar and the total solids present in the syrup ranging from about 69% to about 80% (w / w), and the amount of non-crystallizable sugar being present in an amount effect to prevent the crystallization of sugar said process being effected at an air atomization pressure ranging from about 14 to about 43.5 psi to yield droplets with a volume mean diameter ranging from about 15 to about 400 microns and said smoothing syrup being dried at an air temperature ranging from about 75 F to about 90 F, at an air dew point ranging from about 10 F to about 45 F and the air volume blowing onto the plurality of confections ranging from about 2.5 to about 20 cfm / lb, said drum being rotated at a peripheral speed ranging from about 18 to about 93 fpm;

[0041]Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a process of preventing the doubling of confectionery pieces having a flat bottom resulting from sugar coating of said confectionery pieces, said process comprising forming a rounded contour on the base of said irregularly shaped confections prior to coating said confections pieces.

Problems solved by technology

But, these techniques have not been used heretofore to coat irregularly shaped bite size confections, e.g., bite size chocolates, i.e., a chocolate shape which contains at least one point on the non-base area thereof or has at least one tapered area that culminates in a point, e.g., a conical shape, such as for example, Hershey's Kisses® chocolates.

Unfortunately, it is not a simple application of these techniques to coat an irregularly shaped bite sized confections.

There are many problems which required ingenuity to overcome in order to hard pan such irregularly shaped chocolate centers.

It is to be understood that sugar coating is effected utilizing a supersaturated sugar solution which is maintained at a temperature which is much greater than the melting point of chocolate, i.e., 37° C. Thus, too high a temperature may result in the melting of the chocolate center unless the proper conditions are utilized.

If it is too fast or too slow, the result will be an uneven application of the coating.

A sugar syrup of too low a solids content also results in the degradation of the sugar crystal layers buildup on the pointed tip.

The lack of a sugar shell layer on the pointed tip is visually and functionally unacceptable.

Furthermore, a sugar syrup with too high a solids concentration can prematurely crystallize in the syrup nozzles prior to deposition on the plurality of centers which can result in a rough and mottled surface.

If the volume of drying air is too low, it will take longer for the syrups to dry, making the process inefficient.

For example, the use of inadequate air dew point results in unsatisfactory drying rates that lead to exposure of the pointed tips, poor color uniformity and overall degradation of the sugar shell layers which is visually and functionally unacceptable.

The speed of the rotating drum also affects the quality of the product in hard panning irregularly shaped confectionery centers.

If the coating pan is rotated too quickly, the collision between the particles can create too much friction between each of the particles or between the particles and the pan, thereby causing the breakage of the chocolate and / or erosion of the tip and of the shape of the chocolate due to melting; on the other hand, if the pan is rotated too slowly, then an uneven amount of coating may be dispersed onto the chocolate, causing a rough surface.

Moreover, sugar aggregation may occur on the sides of the coating pan.

Another problem that is encountered is that many confections have a flat base.

Unfortunately, hard panning chocolate centers results in the centers becoming quite tacky.

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